Ministry of Agriculture, United Nations World Food Programme to give over 700 small farmers $1,000 in post-Hurricane Lisa assistance

Posted: Wednesday, March 1, 2023. 9:36 pm CST.

Photo Credit: MAFSE
By Rubén Morales Iglesias:
Over 700 small holder farmers will receive $1,000 in post-Hurricane Lisa assistance from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Enterprise (MAFSE) in Belize and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). The farmers will receive the assistance in digital vouchers.

The smallholder farmers registered in the MAFSE’s Belize Agriculture Information Management System (BAIMS) from Belize, Cayo, Orange Walk and Stann Creek districts will be receiving the assistance in digital vouchers.

“The local mobile money service provider DigiWallet will be used to send US$ 350 for agricultural inputs and equipment to be purchased at MAFSE-accredited merchants, with an additional US$ 150 to meet food and other essential needs,” said a press release from the World Food Programme.

The Government of Italy and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are funding the programme, said the WFP. The Government of Italy contributed $439,000 while The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints donated $288,000.

The programmme was announced on Wednesday at the signing ceremony attended by representatives from all entities including MAFSE Minister Jose Abelardo Mai, WFP’s Regis Chapman, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Daniel Hernández and Leovanni Lopez.

The WFP said Hurricane Lisa affected 93 communities causing extensive damage to grain and vegetable production estimated in nearly $20 million.

“Prior to Hurricane Lisa, our survey conducted with the Government of Belize and the Caribbean Community found that 51 percent of people in Belize were food insecure, with nearly everyone having observed higher food prices due to the cost-of-living crisis in 2022,” Regis Chapman, WFP Caribbean Representative and Country Director said.

Chapman said the WFP is pleased to partner with the Government to assist smallholder farmers at this critical time before the next planting season.”

Mauro Ghirotti, Representative of AICS for Centro America and Caribe, said the Italian Cooperation is cognizant of needs of the communities affected by Hurricane Lisa.

“Our contribution has to be considered within the partnership between the Government of Belize, the World Food Programme and other international partners to help Belizean people, particularly farmers. We are confident that this support will help to restore their economic and social activities particularly through proper targeting, in order to assist the ones most in need,” Ghirotti said.

The WFP said prior to this assistance programme, it partnered with Belize’s Ministry of Human Development in providing cash assistance to nearly 11,000 people in right after Hurricane Lisa struck the country.

The WFP also donated 40 tablets to the Ministry of Agriculture for technical officers to collect farmer data and additional agriculture information.

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